21st Century President Act

Floor Speech

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Mr. POCAN. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of the 21st Century President Act, a bipartisan bill that I am glad to have authored and introduced.

Federal law hasn't caught up to where progress in this country is, specifically when it comes to who a future President can be.

This bill would change Federal law that refers to a President's spouse. Sections that currently refer to a President's ``wife'' or ``widow'' would be changed to ``spouse'' in recognition of the fact that, in the 21st century, the President could either be a woman or a person from the LGBTQ community.

Without this change to the U.S. Code, for example, the law that makes it a crime to threaten, kill, kidnap, or inflict bodily harm upon the President or the President's family would fail to include a future female or gay President and their potential spouse.

This change is long overdue. Someday, there could be a President Kamala Harris, or Elizabeth Warren, or Amy Klobuchar, or Tammy Baldwin, or Pete Buttigieg, or a President Nikki Haley, or Kristi Noem, or Liz Cheney.

The words in law matter. It is critically important that Federal law recognizes that we could one day have a President who is not a man, or even a straight man, and that they and their families deserve equal protection under the law.

I am glad that this bill passed the House by voice vote last Congress and that it has now been voted out of the Judiciary Committee twice on a voice vote.

I personally thank Chairman Nadler and the Judiciary Committee for their support of this important bipartisan bill, and I urge all of my colleagues to, once again, support the 21st Century President Act.

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